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Thesis

All East Asian Studies M.A. students must submit a Master's Thesis representing a substantial piece of original research.  

Requirements

The submitted thesis must meet the following requirements:

  • 10,000 words minimum, excluding references, citations, appendices, etc.
  • Submitted online to the East Asian Studies Thesis Collection within the Stanford Digital Repository by the standard university thesis deadline and by following the  CEAS SDR Deposit Instructions
    • If the faculty adviser also requires a printed, bound version to be submitted, theses should be bound using "strip binding" with a clear plastic cover and black plastic back cover (can be done at Kinko's on campus)
  • Containing the adviser's signature on the Standard Thesis Title Page

Thesis Proposal

Students must submit an approved thesis proposal and literature review by the end of the quarter prior to the quarter in which they intend to graduate.  The proposal is the statement of the research question, the rationale for the research, the theoretical and empirical background that the student is bringing to bear, and the methodology.  The 5-10 page proposal must be reviewed and approved by the student's adviser.  The Thesis Proposal and Literature Review Guidelines contain the cover page for the proposal, which must be printed out, approved, and signed by the student's adviser, and submitted to CEAS.  

Campus Resources

Students may find it valuable to review past submitted thesis topics in our thesis database.  Submitted theses are also available to read in the CEAS Offices.

Recent Thesis Topics

Deterrence, Alliance, and Regime Type: Does Democratization Make East Asia a Safer Place?
XU, Yifan | 2024 | 515
REGION: East Asia | Kharis Templeman, East Asian Studies
Equestrian Empire: Japan’s Horse Improvement Projects in Korea and Manchuria
SUEN, Eric | 2024 | 513
REGION: Japan | Jun Uchida, History
Liangbi’s Restless World: Devastation and Salvation towards the Path of Republic in Late Qing
FU, Wanning | 2024 | 512
REGION: China | Matthew Sommer, History
The Bedrock Overhead: A Satellite Resilience Roadmap for a Taiwan Conflict
BIRDWELL, Jake | 2024 | 511
REGION: East Asia | Larry Diamond, Political Science